Artists - Ceramics

Clementina van der Walt

hand thrown & painted ceramics

Clementina is a one of Cape Town’s most well-known ceramicists, who annually gets invited by Ceramic Art London to exhibit at their prestigious show in Kensington. Her vibrant linear work, irregular in shape, thickness and texture, is organic and soulful. But it is also functional, celebrating the ancient African tradition of embellishing domestic utensils out of respect.

Ursula Dale

hand-painted glazed ceramic with beads by Ursula Dale

Ursula Dale is the creative force behind Ursh Works Ceramics, a design studio specialising in hand-painted ceramics. In her own words; “we derive a great sense of pleasure, beginning with nothing and observing a beautiful piece of ceramic art emerging”. Her assistants are from the local community with a good grounding in ceramics and pottery. The results are decorative pieces with occasional additional adornment in the form of beads. But the beauty of her work is that it has a functional use as well as an aesthetic appeal, although Ursula does recommend hand-washing.

Pat Hayden

ceramic composition

Pat Hayden lives and works in Somerset West in the Cape region of South Africa. She has a higher diploma in Fine Art and has been a studio potter, supplying local galleries as well as exporting for 21 years. In addition, she has taught for the last 12 years from her studio.
“I love the process of Raku as the firing can be done in under one hour and one sees the result so much sooner. When the pottery is moved from the kiln to the damp sawdust, the glaze shrinks faster than the clay body and crazes. As the item cools down smoke lines are trapped in the clay body. The crazing is random and uncontrolled, resulting in interesting patterns”.

Dragana Jevtovic

hand-painted glazed ceramic

Dragana Jevtovic was born in Belgrade and moved to Cape Town in 1993. Shunning ready-made commercial products, she mixes her own paint, and every piece is uniquely decorated by free hand. Her acclaimed cobalt Blue Guinea Fowl design, inspired by Dutch and Chinese tradition and interpreted with a vision which owes much to her European heritage, depicts the quaint, indigenous African guinea fowl that abound in the gardens and parks of Cape Town. Her slip cast ceramics are stoneware fired to 1220’C and glazed with lead free transparent glaze, making her products oven proof, and microwave & dishwasher safe.

Karen Kotze

textural ceramic

Born in South Africa in 1980, Karen Kotze graduated with a BA in Fine Art from the University of Stellenbosch in 2002, before completing a Diploma in Education in 2006. For the last 10 years she has exhibited extensively in galleries throughout South Africa and in 2005 had work selected for the Korean Ceramic Biennale. In her own words, Karen says; “my work is inspired by the great diversity of crafts that is found in South Africa. After working extensively in the areas of weaving and beading my ceramic works became infused with these techniques. Each work explores the inherent pattern and order apparent in traditional craft techniques.”

Michelle Legg

smoke-fired ceramic

Michelle Legg is a talented and well know ceramicist in South Africa, with numerous qualifications and awards to her name. She now concentrates on her own work as well as teaches part time at the University of Johannesburg.

Shelley Maisel

hand-thrown ceramics

Shelley Maisel is a highly acclaimed South African ceramicist who has exhibited extensively throughout the country. Living in the arty community of Noordhoek on the Cape Peninsular, Shelley Maisel constantly explores new shapes and textures to advance her earthy range of organic ceramics. The materials, shapes and decorations of Shelley’s work not only portray her interests, but also reveal subliminal influences. The colour and texture of the clay and the hand-painted edges and circles embody the artistic expression of primitive cultures.
“My inspiration is drawn from many sources. I have always been influenced by African, Aboriginal, Pre-Colombian, Oceanic, American Indian and South American art. I find their use of colour, intricate design, symbols and elements of nature, both beautiful and fascinating. In turn I express my love for clay and colour through my work, using many elements of nature as inspiration.”
Shelley also forms her vessels by using the same clay hand-building techniques favoured by these cultures, namely coiling and pinching.

Hennie Meyer

ceramic tableware

Hennie Meyer is a highly acclaimed South African ceramicist. From 1993 to the present day, his CV monitors his meteoric rise through the ceramic art world, his prowess being recognised by the countless awards he has received. He is now published in two books and has been awarded a medal at the Fifth World Ceramic Biennale in Korea. He has also been invited to the Ceramic Art London show held at the Royal College of Art for the last five consecutive years. Hennie has a passion for shape and form, and his strong signature style is balanced by intricate decorative detail. His work is completely unique, instantly recognisable and eminently collectable.

Sarah Walters

wash away porcelain

Sarah was born in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, but moved to the UK when she was nine. She completed her Fine Art Sculpture BA at Norwich School of Art and Design in 2001, and then moved back to the Western Cape. Up until that point her focus had been on sculpture, but on arriving home, her father, the professional potter David Walters, offered to teach her the ‘art’ of throwing. Sarah was hooked. David taught her about the beauty and strength of a functional pot; the capacity that pots have to sit quietly in our everyday lives and add sparkle to the intimate daily rituals that we perform, like drinking tea. Our histories and cultures can be tracked, understood and maybe even defined through the pots and fragments of ceramics that have been left behind. It is a long and incredible lineage of which to be a part, and Sarah is very proud of the fact that she is a third-generation potter. In her work she tries to balance the sculptural and the functional. She treats each piece as an individual, her aim being to tread the line between the organic freshness of form in nature and the elegance of form in function.

Stan Muhl

hand-painted functional ceramics

These bright, functional ceramics are created in Cape Town by Stan and Shirley Muhl and their team, and depict the ever-popular guineafowl bird in plain primary and secondary colour combinations.

Lorrea Mehmel

glazed ceramic

Lorrea Mehmel is a modern ceramicist, who combines elegant simple lines with sharp and simple imagery.
Working in the wine region of the Western Cape, Lorrea describes her designs as “an expression of my inner creativity. I am a loving free spirit and my imagination flies amongst the birds.”

Elvis Potina

baked clay ceramic

Elvis Potina was born in the Eastern Cape in 1977. In 2002 he started a ceramics course three days a week. In 2004 he received a scholarship to Boland College to gain further skills and technique in ceramics as well as entrepreneurship. Elvis is proud that his ceramic works reflect his Xhosa culture such as the pots often carried on the heads of Xhosa women, and black and white have become his signature colour ways. In 2006 he was best on show at the National Exhibition of ArtsCape and in 2007 he was involved with the 16 Master Crafters of Old Mutual, as well as being chosen as an icon by the Cape Craft & Design Institute. Now Elvis has his own stand at trade shows and is exhibiting in Germany.

Marinda Rossouw

clay baked ceramic

Marinda Rossouw was born in Zimbabwe in 1958 and her family emigrated to South Africa in the sixties. Living in Cape Town, she has been teaching since 1980 and works with six year olds, who “although they surely keep you busy, give you loads of entertainment!” The interest in pottery came to Marinda gradually. She started off with evening classes, “stopping and starting until the clay bug bit.” Like many beginner potters, her workspace involved shuffling cars around the garage to find a dark spot in the corner. Eventually she sold enough to build her own small studio. Marinda works in different clay types and mostly does decorative ware. She often leaves parts of her ceramics unglazed as she finds the clay appealing. Because she pots as a hobby, she does not repeat styles, preferring to move on to new ideas.

Chris Silverston

hand-painted glazed ceramic

The Potter’s Shop was started in 1986 by Chris Silverston. She then opened the Studio above in 1990, allowing resident artists to develop and experiment on site. It grew so much, they moved from the Studio in Kalk Bay to the Potters Workshop in Muizenburg, and they have recently upgraded again. There are presently seven artists painting in the Workshop and their work is sold through galleries all over South Africa and in USA. Vibrant colour is the signature statement from the Workshop, and, while each artist’s work is individual in style, they are united in their use of bold design and striking visuals.

Johan Swart

hand-thrown ceramic

Johan Swart studied ceramic design at the Free State Technikon in South Africa, before becoming a full time ceramic artist. Discovering that an additional source of income was required, he took to teaching ceramics to the deaf. This had a profound influence on him and made him further realise that good pottery is “felt” rather than “learnt”. After eight years, Johan moved on to teach at schools in Worcester and Stellenbosch, where clay was deemed to be less for therapy and more a medium for contemporary design. He finally got the chance to open a studio again and jumped at the chance to devote 100% of his time to expressing himself in his clay creativity. Johan alters firing techniques to create contrast in colour and texture, and he calls on modern and ancient influences, from the first and third worlds, to give balance to his designs.

Trayci Tompkins

smoke-fired ceramic

Trayci Tompkins’ work is an eclectic mix of South Africa’s cultural styles and influences by respected ceramic artist Trayci Tompkins herself and her creative Zulu-lulu team who work from their purpose built studio in the picturesque Natal Midlands. Together they produce an ever changing range of quirky stoneware functionals, smoke fired and raku glazed collectables and one-of-a-kind décor pieces. Collected the world over, by lovers of beautiful things, each piece is individually hand made and reflects the heart and soul of the maker. Their motto is;- “we love what we do and it shows” .

Pat White

raku-fired ceramic

The Porcupine Ceramic Studio was started by Patricia White, together with 3 staff members, early in 1994 in the courtyard of her home in Plettenberg Bay. Her husband put the world of computers behind him, joined Patricia, and together they moved the growing business to a farm, nestled at the base of the Outeniqua Mountains. The Porcupine studio grew organically, drawing staff from the surrounding areas, who were previously disadvantaged and unskilled. It now employs 24 people and produces a diverse range of ceramic artworks. Each piece is handcrafted, meticulously decorated and raku-fired, giving it individuality. They have now moved to their new spacious home at the Craggs

Graham Bolland

functional ceramics

Graham Bolland’s studio is found in Kreupelbosch in the Cape and faces the beautiful Constantia valley and the Constantiaberg mountain.
For 17 years, Graham has designed and perfected the shapes and forms with function in mind. He has trained two potters, Eugenia and Canicia, and they have become an integral part of the business. They have both been with the studio for over 10 years.
All the pottery is made from clay from the Western Cape and is fired in a gas kiln to get the exclusive look and style which Graham requires.

Theresa Wormser

hand-painted glazed ceramic

Theresa Wormser lives and works in the rural coastal village of Kommetjie, near Cape Point, South Africa. She draws her inspiration from nature, and her work reflects the shapes, textures and patterns of the environment along this unspoiled Atlantic coast line where she was raised. Made of durable high fired stoneware, her range of ceramics is both microwave and dishwasher proof. Earthy textured surfaces and a unique neutral wash combine nature with style, insuring these ceramics are timeless.

Erna Dry

hand-painted ceramic

Born in South Africa, but qualifying as a teacher in Bulawayo, self-taught artist Erna Dry and her husband John gave up their ‘city slicker’ lifestyle in Pretoria in 1998 and moved to Hermanus in the Cape to develop a dream. They now provide sustainable work for 14 local people with a flair for sophisticated ethnic sculpture.
Exquisite pieces of art are hand made out of slabs rolled from clay made in their own studio. The combination of oxide and glaze brings to life an organic material creating a durable and individual work of art in subtle shades of earthy colors. Each piece is overseen by Erna herself, whose exquisite drawing skills ensure that the original designs and final details are exceptional and unique.

Leko Masuku

hand-thrown ceramic

Leko Masuku is a young Swazi ceramicist who learnt her craft from her father. She now has her own outlet at the Mantenga Craft Centre, where she makes her ceramics at the back of the retail shop. Hands white with clay; quiet and unassuming, Leko has an eye for shape and subtly of colour which far exceeds her years or experience. The inspiration for the detail on some of her work, such as the cattle inscribed into the clay, comes from her rural surrounds and the simple life which still abounds in Swaziland.

Karen Sinovitch

hand-moulded and painted porcelain

Karen Sinovich is a well-known South African ceramic artist who has been working in clay since 1989.
She works primarily in porcelain using various handbuilding techniques and has taken part in numerous exhibitions countrywide and abroad.
In 2004 she was the recipient of the Premier National Arts Council Award for best piece on show at the Ceramics South Africa National Exhibiton.
Her work can be found in many permanent, corporate and private collections.
Karen finds her inspiration from her immediate surroundings – the ocean, beaches and rocks where all sorts of treasures can be found. Her work reflects the everchanging light on water and sand, and shells, boats and driftwood remind her of days spent at the seaside.
On each Sinovitch piece are two flying birds – a reference to the line from an old rhyme “two for joy” which is the wish Karen hopes the pieces will bring to their owners.

Wendy McLachlan

decorative glazed ceramics

Wendy McLachlan lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa. She was educated at the University of Cape Town, where she obtained a Master of Fine Art degree in 2001. Her thesis examined issues of mortality and loss, and of the small intimacies of the domestic routine. The home continues to be the arena in which her work operates; the low-key items of domesticity are looked at in a gentle, witty way. Thus she produces a functional range of “teatime ceramics and other delights” which play upon themes found in traditional bone china and upon the ritual of an English tea.
Wendy participates in numerous group shows, as well as exhibites at the Cape Town Design Indaba.

Rachael Kennedy

hand-painted functional ceramics

Fired Up Pottery Studio is situated in the Northern suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa and was established in 1999 by Paul and Rachael Kennedy. Since then they have been producing high quality ceramics with an emphasis on originality.
Their product range includes platters and bowls but their true speciality is in handmade wash basins and tiles. Each item is molded, turned, decorated and glazed by hand and kiln fired to temperatures of 1140°C – 1200°C, thus ensuring not only beauty but practicality too.

Zizipho Poswa

hand-thrown ceramics

Zizipho Poswa was born in Umtata. She studied at Port Elizabeth technikon and then she went to Cape Town where she worked for the textile designer Carol Niven, as a tableware artist. After working for anothe linen company in Cape Town, Zizipho became a founding member of the ceramic group Imiso. Meaning “tomorrow” in Xhosa, the group was founded in 2006 by four talented individuals who each contribute their own style to the current ceramic range. Zizipho works in a pinch-pot style which means every piece is uniquely hand-created and individual in every way. Neutral exteriors are often contrasted with modern bright colours inside her pots, and subtle scratchings and small marks, such as tiny hearts, add to the quirky feel of each piece. The Imiso group now export to Paris and New York.

Rorke's Drift

Nguni candleholder

Rorke’s Drift is more than a famous battlefield – it’s a unique and successful venture in art and craft production. The ELC Art and Craft Centre, or simply Rorke’s Drift as it is best known, works under the umbrella of the Lutheran Church of South Africa. It was established in 1962 by Swedish artists Ulla and Peder Gowenius, who were employed by the Church of Swedish Mission. A Fine Art School was included in the activities and students from all over of Southern Africa have attended, many of whom have won national and international acclaim.
Today 35 women and men are employed in the different studios at the Art & Craft Centre. The largest activity is in the Weaving Department which has been part of the Art & Craft Centre since 1962, while the intoduction of Textile Printing and the Ceramic studios in 1968 extended the facilities there. This collection of ceramics is by Euriel Damman, Elizabeth Mbatha and Jabulisiwe Sibisi.

Lisa Firer

inscribed porcelain tea-light holder

Porcelain has been Lisa’s fascination since 2000. In her work, the use of this clay is a metaphor for human existence; while porcelain is durable and resilient, it is also easily smashed or cracked.
Texture, layering, light, embellishment, translucency, fragility, beauty, diversity, colour, pattern, design; these are her list of aesthetic passions and explorations. Living and working in Cape Town, South Africa, Lisa sees herself as blessed to be part of a rich and vibrant community of designers, artists, makers and crafters.
She is committed to the hand-made craft object in this world of mass production, and feels that the mark and energy of the maker are transferred into the work, especially with something as tactile as clay. Her intention as she works, is to transfer some of the qualities of light, beauty, gentleness and the opening of the heart and spirit into her work.

Helen Vaughan

hand-thrown and painted ceramic bowls

Helen lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa; a country she describes as “so diverse and stimulating it can only inspire innovation.” She trained as a textile designer, so pattern, rhythm, texture and colour are all in her blood. Sgraffiato or scratchings run through her work as red threads and provides a vital link to all her ceramics. A colour palette of red, aloe green, bronze and pewter contrast with her whitewashed raw clay to create a contemporary appeal whilst still retaining an earthy aesthetic. Helen is interested in the cross-pollination of media, so her studio is an evolving laboratory of clay, cloth, paper and metal as well as the spaces in-between.

Lisa Ringwood

hand-thrown and painted ceramics

Lisa Ringwood was born in Durban, RSA in 1968. She has been captivated by clay since her first pottery lesson at age 7. She went on to study ceramics, history of art and archaeology at Durban Technikon and University of Cape Town. She spent several years experimenting with various expressions of her craft. For many years she focused on wheel work and tin-glazed earthenware. Lisa now works from her studio in Kommetjie where over the years she has developed her style of hand building and slab moulding with scraffito, coloured slips, oxides and underglaze colours. She draws her inspiration from daily life and nature. Tiles and functional ware, drawn and painted with local bird life, carp, blossoms and indigeneous plants can all trace an organic tie back to the earth from which it was shaped, and every piece speaks of unhurried observation and care. She achieves this without subscribing to symmetry or commercial uniformity, giving each piece their unique personality. There is an essence of domestic nostalgia captured in her work – a sense of daily life spilling over into her craft – art and life merging into each other, being inspired by one another, and the joy of creating something functional. Her work is in private collections in South Africa and around the world.

Wendy Holliday

hand-painted ceramics

Well into her seventies, Wendy continues to handpaint her charming ceramics with whimsical designs of simple, local lives, in soft colours. Functional and collectable, they never fail to raise a smile.

Bruce Bell

enamel look ceramics

The Redhill Pottery was established over 18 years ago by the well-known potter Bruce Walford and was grown by the Drydens before being passed on to its current owners, the Bell family. Their mantra is they do not rush the process of making their stoneware. The time and care taken adds to the inherent strength of the pottery and this is borne out by the longevity of their product, which is in use with a number of fine guesthouses. All processes are done by hand by Bruce and his small team. Therefore no two items are identical and little interesting imperfections can sometimes be seen, which give each piece its’ own unique character and personal touch. And finally, because they understand the demands of modern life, all their pieces are microwave friendly and dishwasher safe.

Di Harper

handcrafted ceramics

Di was born in South Africa in 1968 and completed a BA Fine Art degree at UCT in 1990. Her subsequent successful artistic career has been interspersed with work and travel overseas, and commercial ventures, during which she found out that, “painting is like meditation, where I can find pause from the hectic pace of daily life.” She loves the great outdoors and travelling through the beautiful scenic spots of South Africa, from which she draws her inspiration. Apart from painting, Di works in ceramic and mixed media. “I enjoy the texture and pattern that is an integral part of our world, – in nature, architecture and agriculture, – and incorporate it in my work.”

Ferdinand Henning

handcrafted ceramics

Ferdinand Henning was born in the sixties and grew up in a small town in the Karoo. After his studies in Stellenbosch and a year of backpacking through Europe he started making jewellery and sculptures in non-ferrous metals. He exhibited regularly at Grahamstown Art Festival and at the Bloemfontein Art market, Durban Craft Market and Magnoliadal market in Pretoria during mid 80’s and early 90’s. Then the travel bug bit again and he hitchhiked through Eastern Europe and USA for nearly a year. When he came back he got caught up in the corporate world until two years ago when he decided to go full time into ceramics. “Most of my works are figurative pieces built from slabs or coils. Each piece is unique, the result of many hours’ work. Each piece is a one-of-a-kind original work of art and no two are identical, because they are not mass-produced. My functional pieces are one-off pieces, and give me the same satisfaction as a sculpture due to the individual differences of each piece.” Ferdinand lives in Melkbosstrand in the Cape and works from his studio in the quaint little town of Philadelphia about 20 km away.

Carin Cronje

handcrafted ceramics

Carin Cronje runs Vanilla Concrete with her close-knit family in South Africa. Their aim is to take every day usable items and make then beautiful and fun to use. Pieces are hand crafted from original designs. This allows them to produce the interesting shapes that could not otherwise be reproduced. No piece is allowed to lose its ‘heart and soul’ by becoming over-produced as part of a heartless machine with no connection to its creator. Each one of their pieces passes through the hands of at least six people, who each add their own magic to it. All their ranges are developed by themselves, and take on the character or feel of whatever was inspiring them at the time. They are not bound by any style or form, and create in the range from classical to modern. They like to think of ourselves as ‘chameleon potters’.

John the Potter

functional ceramics

John fell in love with clay while studying at Bryn Athyn College near Philadelphia, USA. “It’s not that I learnt all that much about clay at college, but rather that I got to hang out with people who could create pure magic from a lump of clay with very little other than an unusually well developed sense of exploration and experimentation”. John returned to Cape Town to try and make a living out of clay. He practised raku firing in Muizenburg for four years and sold to galleries and at craft markets. In 1995 he married Louise and they moved to Bot River where John started reduction firing. Louise and John made a real success of their business and were able to build their dream home, studio and shop in Betty’s Bay, which took 3 years. Once installed, John ventured back into raku and saggar firing as well as expanded on the palette of reduction glazes for which he is becoming increasingly well known. John, Louise and their son Gabriel live above the pottery studio/gallery with their bull terrier Betty and white rat Garnet.

Yvonne Martin

handcrafted ceramics

Yvonne was born in Harrismith in the Orange Free State, and lived in various parts of South Africa before getting married and settling in Cape Town in 1975. In 1991 she began pottery lessons with Pat Munro, before moving on to study with Graham Bolland. After she joined Angelique Kirk, she developed her interest in
porcelain which is her medium of choice to this day. Finally she developed her techniques under the master potter, Ralph Johnson at Paarl College.

David Walters

handcrafted porcelain

David Walters, one of South Africa’s most distinguished potters, has been potting for 40 years, moving from regulation stoneware in the 1970s to a 30 year love affair with white, hard, lustrous porcelain. Some of his hand-thrown porcelain is also smoke-fired. After graduating with a BA Fine Arts from the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg, he and his wife Michelle established the Nkwaleni Pottery in Hilton before moving on to Caversham Mill at Lidgetton. Tragically, the old mill was washed away in the 1987 floods and they decided to move to England,“to experience the challenge of working in a rigorous environment that has the best potters in the world.” At Kenninghall in Norfolk, they established The Particular Pottery in an old Baptist Chapel and David became Vice Chairman of the Suffolk Craft Society, acknowledged to be the most successful in Britain. After a decade, the call of Africa become too strong to resist and they came home to face a new challenge, renovating the derelict Victorian mansion that once belonged to the first teacher in the village of Franschhoek in the Cape. The building now restored to its former glory, incorporates a series of galleries, an extensive pottery which David shares with his daughter Sarah, and his home.

Janie Siebert

hand-painted ceramics

Janie has been an artist, illustrator and photographer with over 30 years. She now describes herself as a mixed-medium artist, who produces a creative studio-production range of original homeware and artworks from her Handpaint’d House studio in Cape Town. She is most inspired by nature and the living world around her, and her work has been ordered by clients in USA, UK and Australia.